The use of chemical treatment processes for hair, such as coloring, bleaching and permanent waving or curling, can adversely affect the texture and condition of hair. This can make it difficult to curl, cut and manage the hair during styling as well as during regular care. Many hair conditioner treatments to soften the hair or cream rinses are applied to the hair as a separate step to remedy this problem. Softening agents such as cationic fatty quaternary compounds have been used extensively in such conditioning rinses. Typically such conditioners were not effective when incorporated into hair treatment compositions such as shampoos, coloring, and permanent wave compositions.
Hair conditioning or softening compositions which are compatible, that is may be mixed with other hair treatment compositions such as shampoos, coloring and permanent waving compositions, have been developed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,131 disclosed an aqueous hair treatment compound which is compatible with curling, waving coloring, shampoos and other hair treating compositions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,131 adds a water soluble cationic polymer obtained by the polymerization of epihalohydrins and an alkylene polyamine. The cationic polymer can be combined with a variety alkyline or acidic hair treatment compositions to act as a hair softener.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,874 discloses a hair conditioner which comprises a combination of derivatives of ethoxylated/acetylated lanolins with cationic polymers and hydroxyethyl cellulose which may be blended with other hair conditioner materials to control reagent buildup on the hair.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,280 discloses a hair treatment composition which contains a cationic polymer having at least one positively charged nitric or sulfuric moiety in each repeating unit, an amphoteric surfactant product and a betaine. The composition is a conditioning complex which adheres to the hair and resists the effects of several subsequent shampooings.
Thus, the use of cationic surfactants in conjunction with certain fatty materials such as lanolin, mineral oils or alcohols as well as ionic polymers may be employed as hair conditioners. The use of organosilicone compounds in hair conditioners is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,902.
However a hair conditioner which may be employed in combination with either cream based conditioners or chemical treatment solutions and which replace the properties that are affected by other hair treatment processes have been heretofore unavailable.